Not So Lesiurely After All
by narnian-starkid
Summary: What was meant to be a casual ride in Glasswater Woods turns out to be almost the opposite with Edmund and Philip. Set during Golden Age. NO pairings. Rated K plus for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: What was meant to be a casual ride in Glasswater Woods turns out to be almost the opposite with Edmund and Philip. Set during Golden Age. NO pairings. Rated K+ for safety.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here is my _7__th_ story and I planning for it to be more than a one-shot. Usual disclaimer applies.

**On DH (Dragon Hunt) – **if anyone has any story ideas or chapter names for this story, please PM me, or include them in your reviews! I am suffering from severe writer's block with this story and I desperately need your help. Thanks!

Ages:

Peter – 16

Susan – 15

Edmund – 13

Lucy – 11

Not So Leisurely After All 

As usual, there was a minor argument going on between the two young Kings of Narnia.

"Peter, relax. I'm only going for a casual ride through the woods."

Many subjects turned to the sound of their youngest King's not-quite-broken-yet voice.

Peter frowned and looked at Edmund with a sceptical look on his handsome face.

Edmund sighed.

"Please Peter?" He attempted the same look that Lucy had used back in Spare Oom to get him to play hide-and-seek.

Peter reluctantly smiled.

"Alright, but be careful. There might be more Fell Creatures around those Woods near Glasswater."

Edmund rolled his eyes fondly – if not exasperatedly.

"Don't worry Mother Hen, I have my sword."

Peter went to cuff him gently on the head.

"Hurry up and go before I change my mind" he said playfully.

Edmund turned on his heel and walked briskly out to the stables to fetch Philip.

He only planned to go to the Glasswater Woods and stop for a short break before riding back to the Cair.

Once Philip was saddled, he mounted and trotted off.

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After they had reached the outskirts of the Woods, Edmund slowed Philip to a leisurely walk. Philip seemed to sigh with slight relief. He had just been let off box-rest from a tendon injury that had kept him out of action for several weeks.

"What do you think of the area around here Friend?" he asked Edmund.

Edmund didn't answer for a few moments, then replied softly

"It's the most beautiful place I've ever been."

Philip had to smile.

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After riding for a solid fifteen minutes, they reached Glasswater Creek. Edmund slid off Philip's back and ground-tied him, before going to sit near the water.

Philip wandered over – taking great care not to tread on his reins – and had a drink.

Edmund reached up and stroked him on the neck, then stretching up to scratch Philip behind the ears. The Horse cocked his head and closed his eyes, as though thoroughly enjoying the caress.

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Conscious of the time, Edmund tightened Philip's girth and mounted. About half-way home, he noticed how tense Philip seemed in his muscles.

"Philip," he asked, concerned "are you ok?"

Philip gave a short nod of his head. Then, suddenly, there was the sound of a twig breaking and a snarl.

Horse and rider moved slowly forward, careful to make as little noise as possible.

"Sword out Edmund" he heard Philip whisper ever so softly.

Edmund drew his sword, but not before he was thrown from the saddle by a very large and hairy beast.

Landing hard on the ground, completely winded and tasting blood in his mouth, Edmund tried to turn over. But the creature – which he'd discovered was none other than a werewolf – wasn't going to let this happen easily.

He felt a heavy paw plunge down on his right shoulder, another low yet menacing snarl, and the pain of claws running through flesh.

Then he heard another sound. A high-pitched, almost banshee like, squeal. He looked over the werewolf's shoulder and noticed a hag approaching Philip – who was cantering valiantly towards the werewolf with a livid look in his eyes.

Suddenly, the hag was on the ground and the werewolf was running blindly into the darker shadows of the forest.

Panting, his vision blurring furiously, Edmund looked up at Philip. The Horse was bleeding heavily from a deep gash on his chest and he had many scrapes on his face. But his eyes were tight with concern and – if horses could – was doing nothing to staunch the moisture coming from his eyes.

"Edmund, are you alright?" Philip asked gently.

Before Edmund could answer, there was a loud screaming sound coming from the edge of the clearing, loud whispers of shock, and three cries of fear.

"EDMUND!"

The young king could do nothing to stop the dark shadows clouding his vision, but his head was pounding and spinning at the same time, and his injured shoulder was still bleeding as furiously as it had when he had first gotten injured.

A young, female voice spoke from above him.

"It's no good, if there's one thing that my Cordial won't work on, its Fell Creature bites. We'll just have to let him heal on his own."

He couldn't hear anymore, his brain was clogged and at this point, Edmund fell unconscious.

**Ooooo, errrrr....... um, yeah. Please don't flame too badly *looks incredibly hopeful*. So remember, if anyone has any ideas for Dragon Hunt, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**R&R plz!**

**As always,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks so much to skgirl8621 and Tonzura123 for your kind reviews! Your help is greatly appreciated! Again, if you have any ideas for Dragon Hunt, please tell me!

WARNING: This is where the K plus rating comes in so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Usual disclaimer applies!

Chapter 2:

Peter watched his brother leave the throne room and then turned back to his trade agreement from Archenland. He was anxious for the girls to return from Beaversdam any minute now.

Almost as if they were reading his thoughts, there was a loud trumpeting coming from the gates.

Peter rushed outside to see his royal sisters – Susan and Lucy – cantering into the courtyard.

They halted their horses, dismounted and ran over to Peter, their arms open.

Lucy reached him first and engulfed him a great bear-hug. Peter hugged her back and then released her, before embracing Susan.

Lucy seemed to notice that there was someone missing, for it was she who next spoke.

"Peter, where's Edmund?"

Peter smiled reassuringly and ruffled her wavy auburn hair.

"Relax Lu; he's gone for a ride up to Glasswater."

Relieved, Lucy nodded and skipped into the castle. Susan hung back, then opened her eyes wide and whispered to Peter

"But Peter, those woods are full of Fell Creatures!"

Peter felt his worry from before return as he repeated what his brother had said before departing.

"Don't worry; he said he'd be back for lunch."

This seemed to ease Susan, for she smiled slightly and walked with Peter into Lucy's room on the second floor.

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Lunch came and went, but there still no sign of Edmund.

Lucy was getting very worried by this point, Susan was channelling her worry by reading up on ancient Narnian tales, and Peter was beside himself.

He kept pacing the library frantically, looking out the window occasionally, and then resuming his pacing.

After circling the library for the eighth time, Susan looked up from her book.

"For Aslan's sake Peter, will you sit down?!" she said snappily.

Peter just glared at her.

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Another ten minutes past, and Peter stood up.

"I'm going looking for him."

Lucy and Susan nodded and walked with him to the gate.

"What are you two doing?" he asked.

Susan stared at him and answered

"Well, its obvious isn't it? We're coming with you."

Lucy nodded in agreement.

Too tired and worried to argue with them, Peter made sure they both had their weapons and that Lucy had her cordial, before they set off with Orieus and Tumnus.

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They walked steadily down to the edge of Glasswater Woods, but at that exact moment, there was a high-pitched squeal, a menacing snarl, a surprised whinny and a loud yell and 'oomph_!'_

They ran in the direction of the noise and this is what they saw;

A hag was gliding towards Philip, dagger raised. She managed to gash the Horse through the chest before she fell dead by Tumnus' arrow.

What caught their attention most was the werewolf that was crouched over a slim, dark form and its right paw and the ground around them was littered with dark red blood.

The werewolf suddenly looked up to see Orieus charging towards it and it ran back into the forest. Now the Pevensies could see the figure behind Philip on the ground.

Lucy gasped, Susan screamed and Peter froze up.

The next thing that they all said was the same panicked yell;

"EDMUND!"

They rushed to his side, Lucy guided Philip away and lay him down and began to administer her cordial.

Susan and Peter rushed to their brother's side. He was conscious – but barely. There was blood pouring from a deep wound from his left shoulder and his dark chocolate eyes were glazed from pain and shock.

Lucy came over with a sad expression on her face and said softly to Susan and Peter

"It's no good. If there's one thing that my Cordial won't work on, its Fell Creature bites. We'll just have to let him heal on his own."

Susan nodded, pale, before she looked back at Edmund, only to see that he'd fallen unconscious.

Peter had tears running down his cheeks, and his eyes had a guilty tinge to them.

"I should have come too!" he almost yelled, pounding his fist into the blood-pool next to him.

Orieus came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Philip just told me what happened. The creatures attacked suddenly; there was almost time for either of them to react."

Peter nodded, before gathering Edmund into his arms and beginning the slow and long journey back to Cair Paravel.

**Yeah....I felt it fitting that we should see Peter, Susan and Lucy's reactions in more detail and what happened after Edmund fell unconscious. Please read and review!**

**As always,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hey all! Remember, I am open to anyone's ideas for Dragon Hunt – please tell me! This is pretty much the same chapter, but I have added some more info at the end.

Disclaimer: NOT mine!!!

Chapter 3:

The walk back to the Cair was silent.

Peter carefully picked his way through the trees carrying his unconscious younger brother. Susan and Lucy walked mutely on his left and Orieus and Philip walked resolutely on his right.

Once they reached Cair Paravel, the Peter headed straight for Edmund's room with Lucy, while Susan ran and got a healer.

Peter settled his brother on his bed just as Healer Motiff glided swiftly through the door - her blue petals trailing behind her.

Susan hugged Peter's right arm and Lucy had silent tears running down her face.

After what seemed forever, Motiff straightened and looked at the siblings with as much of a serious look that a dryad could muster.

"Well?" Peter asked apprehensively.

"It does not look good sire. Those cuts are deep, and it will be touch-and-go for a few hours. However I assure you, he will not be a werewolf. The beast that wounded him did not touch him with its venomous fangs. He will have scars for the rest of his life though."

Susan nodded against Peter's shoulder and Lucy sighed with slight relief. Peter just strode over to Edmund's bedside, watching his brother's frail chest steadily rise and fall with every breath.

"Thank you so much Healer Motiff, this means so much to all of us." Susan voice stated calmly.

Peter stared back at his brother.

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Many hours passed until it was now well past midnight. Lucy was sound asleep in a chair near Edmund's bed. Susan was glancing over the book on ancient Narnian tales from the library with no particular interest. Peter remained on the side of Edmund's bed, continuing to watch his brother breathe.

Suddenly, there was a loud _thunk_ as Susan's book fell to the floor. Peter turned to see Susan asleep in her chair next to Lucy.

Satisfied that there was no particular danger, Peter turned back to Edmund, and did a double take as he thought he saw Edmund's fingers twitch slightly.

Growing excited, Peter reached out, clasped his brother's hand and stroked it smoothly.

Nothing happened. Not one single little twitch.

Peter sighed, disappointment flooding through him. He unclasped his hand and walked over to his sisters.

Gently scooping Lucy up, he walked the 2 metres to her room and set her down in the bed. She mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, her auburn hair falling around her face.

Smiling, Peter turned and walked back to Edmund's room where he found Susan awake.

Suddenly feeling guilty for waking her, Peter felt himself heating up. Seeing his embarrassment, Susan shook her head.

"It's alright Peter, it wasn't you that woke me, it was a dream."

Relieved, Peter nodded and sat back down. Susan came over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You need your sleep too you know" she told him softly.

"But, what happens if he wakes up and doesn't see anyone he knows and he panics?" Peter whispered incredulously.

Susan squared her shoulders.

"Fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll stay with him and I'll come and get you if he wakes up."

Peter nodded and walked out to his room.

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He slept badly that night. His dreams were plagued with images of the werewolf leering over Edmund's still form and blood covering the forest floor. He woke up in a cold sweat at least twice during the night.

At last, he arose at a respectable hour (7:00am) and sat up in bed, hazy, but then yesterday's events came rushing back to his memory – the werewolf, the hag, Philip, Edmund – and he raced to change his clothes and sprinted to his younger brother's room.

The sight that greeted him was definitely not what he'd expected.

Healer Motiff was back in the room, bending over Edmund with her back to Peter. But what really got his attention was the sight of his sisters.

Lucy was sitting on a chair with a serious expression on her face, but it looked like she was fighting not to show something, and Susan had tears running down her face.

Fearing the worst, Peter strode over to his sisters and sat between them. Putting each of his arms around both of them, he asked

"What's wrong?" he already suspected the answer.

Lucy answered him in a shaky voice – a smile slowly curving her features.

"Peter, it's Edmund. We think he's waking up."

**Hope everyone liked it! Please read and review! Also, PLEASE let me know if you have any ideas for Dragon Hunt, I haven't abandoned it; I'm just suffering from very severe writer's block!**

**As always,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I may not update this story after this chapter for a while, because I only have three weeks of school left and I will be really busy with assessment and I will need that time for study and work. So bear with me on that. Thanks to everyone's reviews!

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!! Well, except Motiff and the Doves.

Chapter 4

Peter stared at Lucy in shock.

"Are you sure?" he asked excitedly.

Susan spoke up.

"Well, we don't know. His eyelids flickered for a second and he groaned slightly, so Lu ran off and got Motiff, and I stayed here with him."

"What happened to the promise you made last night?" Peter asked, annoyed.

Susan looked slightly guilty and Lucy looked at the floor.

"We didn't want to wake you up because we knew that if he wasn't really waking up then you'd get all disappointed and you'd be moody and depressed for the rest of the day." Lucy said quietly.

Understanding now – and somewhat thankful that the girls didn't wake him after all – Peter suddenly remembered what had happened last night.

"He tried to wake up last night too." Peter told them – again, growing excited.

Lucy sat up a bit straighter and Susan looked like she was about to say something, but Healer Motiff spoke up – a petal smile on her leafy lips.

"He has improved, and I believe that he will wake up soon, but do not get your hopes up. There is still a chance that his condition can deteriorate. The next few hours will be critical."

They all nodded and Motiff glided from the room. All three coherent siblings breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

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Motiff came and checked on Edmund a few hours later, and announced that he was indeed on the road to recovery. This pleased Peter more than anything.

But Peter's pleasure didn't last long.

That afternoon, Susan was called away to deal with an issue down in her Southern Valleys, and it would take a day or so to travel there and she didn't know how long she was going to be there.

Lucy had a visit to Mr Tumnus to carry out, and she wouldn't be back for a few days.

Before they left, Peter promised them that he would tell them if Edmund awoke or if he got worse, and they told him that they would return either way.

With that, both sisters left Cair Paravel. So Peter was left alone.

That wasn't how he liked it.

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It was late afternoon, two days later, and there was very little change in Edmund. Peter wasn't sure how to feel, but he knew he wasn't happy.

Currently, he was sitting in Edmund's room reading a book on the Creation of Narnia, looking up at every soft noise that his sharp ears could recognise.

After looking up and down for the umpteenth time, Peter sighed; he just couldn't concentrate. He was too worried about the girls and about Edmund – he would be surprised if anyone could concentrate.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts; he almost didn't notice the small groan coming from his brother.

Peter paused – surely, after four days of waiting, this might be it?

He moved his chair closer to Edmund's bedside, just in time to see his left index finger twitch.

Channelling his excitement, Peter restrained himself from yelling in delight.

Instead, he reached over and clasped Edmund's left hand. Then, his eyelids flickered ever so slightly.

Peter couldn't restrain himself any longer.

"Ed?" he asked softly.

Eyelids fluttered open – and stayed open – as dark brown orbs slowly became visible.

"P-Peter?" Edmund's broken, hoarse voice spoke out scratchily.

Feeling absolutely elated, Peter reached over and stoked his brother's hair gently.

"Sh Ed, how are you feeling?" Peter asked soothingly.

Edmund's eyes suddenly became clearer and had some of their old spirit back into them.

"Ok, my shoulder really hurts though. What happened Peter?"

Peter was quiet for a few moments.

"It's ok Ed. We'll discuss some of this when you're feeling stronger and when I've told the girls" he said gently – still stroking his brother's dark hair.

Edmund seemed too worn out to fight back.

"Pete?" he asked, his voice wobbling slightly.

"Hmm?" Peter answered.

His brother's next request startled Peter completely.

"Peter, can you please get something for my shoulder? It feels like it's got millions of splinters in it and it really hurts"

Peter – more than willing to do anything for his brother – smiled and answered

"Sure Ed. If you need me, I'll be back with Motiff shortly."

Edmund nodded as Peter turned on his heel and left the room.

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Peter came to a halt outside Healer Motiff's room and knocked softly on the wooden door.

"Come in" her brisk voice rang out.

Peter opened the door and walked into the warm room that had a faint smell of lavender and tea-tree oil.

"King Peter, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Well, you see, my brother's awoken and he asked for something to ease the pain in his shoulder." Peter replied.

Motiff nodded, and strode over to her desk, where she grabbed some herb bottles, before walking with Peter back to Edmund's room.

He was asleep when they arrived, but he quickly woke up again at Peter's urging.

Motiff was filling a vial with a strange, clear liquid that smelt like rosemary for pain-relief, with a hint of lavender for sedative qualities.

"Here Your Majesty, you'll need to drink all of this" Motiff commanded softly.

With Peter's left arm supporting him, Edmund sat up and drank. He coughed and spluttered after swallowing, and then Peter set him gently back down on the bed.

"Take note, those herbs will take a while to take effect, so don't over-exert yourself too much" Motiff stated.

Edmund nodded, and Peter smiled and thanked her sincerely. With a bow, Motiff left the room.

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The two brothers sat in silence for a few minutes, then Edmund asked

"Peter, where are Susan and Lucy?"

Peter turned his attention back to his brother.

"Susan had to go to the Southern Valleys and deal with an issue there and Lu's at Mr Tumnus' house" he answered.

Edmund nodded and looked at Peter.

"I want to know now, Peter, what happened when I was out?"

Peter sighed, and began to relate all that had happened since they had found Edmund bleeding on the forest floor – barely conscious.

"And this is the evening of the fourth day you've been up here Ed – honestly, we were getting really worried" Peter concluded.

Edmund didn't answer. All that could be heard were soft breaths and the occasional soft snore. Peter smiled. Now would be a good time to send word to the girls.

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As Peter strode through the quiet castle, he couldn't help hoping that the girls would come home soon.

He came across a messenger dove. He gently woke her up – at first she was annoyed at being awoken, but then she saw just who she was talking to, and she was all attention.

"Lillipop at your service King Peter" she said a bit sleepily.

"Lillipop, I need you need you to take another dove and each of you need to send this message to Queens Susan and Lucy" Peter told them clearly, holding up two identical pieces of folded parchment that he'd written the messages on the day before.

Lillipop bowed, then turned to her mate and they conversed in dove talk, before she turned back to Peter – both birds holding out their legs.

Peter smiled, before attaching Susan's letter to Lillipop, and Lucy's letter to the male dove – whose name was Jarko – and watching them fly off into the night.

He prayed to Aslan that they would return soon.

He stopped by to check on Edmund, before striding off down the corridor to his own room.

Things were going to be alright.

**Yeah, so remember, I may not update for a while because of school, but I may update sooner. I am going to stress this onto you guys and girls – PLEASE help me with Dragon Hunt! I am out of ideas and I don't want to finish that story – not yet anyway, so you guys can determine what the next chapter is about – unless I come up with a bright idea. Please read and review this chapter though!**

**As always,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I know I said that I wouldn't update for a while because of school, but I am actually sick at the moment, so I needed something to do. This chapter is more of a filler – it just shows Susan and Lucy getting their letters from Peter and their reactions to the news of Edmund. Still, hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Only Motiff and the Doves are mine, nothing else.

Chapter 5 part 1 – Susan

Susan was exhausted. She was also slightly annoyed that these two squirrels couldn't deal with their fight over whose part of the forest belonged to them, without her being there. She was also anxious for any news from Peter.

As she lay down on the soft, lush grass, she thought she heard the call of a dove.

Sitting up and becoming slightly more aware, Susan looked to the midnight sky, just in time to see a pearly white Dove soaring down towards her, and – Susan's vision was sharpened as soon as she saw this – carrying a folded piece of parchment in its beak.

The Dove (if you remember was Lillipop) saw that Susan had seen her, for she flew faster, until it was safe for her to return to the ground.

She landed right at Susan's bare feet, before bowing sincerely.

"Pray what news have you brought to me good Dove?" Susan asked kindly.

"Majesty, I have news from your royal brother, the High King" Lillipop replied, depositing the letter in Susan's lap.

"Thank you kindly Dove, you may leave now" whispered Susan.

Accepting a stroke on the back and giving one final bow to Susan, Lillipop flew off.

Immediately after she had gone, Susan gently opened the letter and this is what she read;

_Dear Susan,_

_How are you? Have those squirrels sorted out their problems yet? In any case, I hope you return soon._

_I do have some good news though; Tonight, I was with Edmund _("Where else would you be?" laughed Susan)_ and guess what? He's woken up! Truly, at first it was a groan and then, he just kind of woke up. I was so pleased. _('I hope you didn't frighten him though Peter' Susan thought reproachfully)

_Anyway, I have to go, I haven't written to Lu yet. Promise me you'll come home soon._

_Your brother and King,_

_Peter._

Susan folded up the letter, sharing Peter's wish that she would be able to go home soon.

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Chapter 5 Part 2 – Lucy

Lucy was in the sitting room of Mr Tumnus' house, when there was a pecking at the window.

She looked over and saw a dove the colour of snow sitting there, with a letter in its beak.

Knowing almost immediately who the letter was from, Lucy jumped up and opened the window. Almost instantly, the Dove (Jarko) flew in and settled himself near the fire (for it was quite chilly at Mr Tumnus' house that day), but not before giving the letter to Lucy.

Excited, Lucy tore open the letter and read out the following;

_Dear Lu,_

_How are things at Tumnus' house? I bet you're having more fun than Su at any rate! _("Of course!" joked Lucy and Tumnus laughed)

_Things have been totally wild here though, but I do have one bit of good news for you; Ed's awake! _("Oh the joy!" exclaimed Lucy) _He told me to tell you that he misses you and wants you to come home soon. Actually I think it's because he wants someone else other than me around him all the time. Anyway, I better stop there, sounds like Ed's not happy about being left alone again. _('Since when?' thought Lucy) _Best wishes to you Tumnus!_

_Your oldest brother and High King,_

_Peter._

Lucy was too overjoyed for words. She took Tumnus' hands and they danced around the living room for a long time, until Lucy remembered the promise she'd made to Peter upon her departure.

"Oh Mr Tumnus, I'm terribly sorry, but I really must get back to Cair Paravel."

Tumnus shook the apology off with a wave of his hand.

"No matter Lucy, 'tis quite alright. You have family waiting for you. I'm so happy for you."

After a slightly teary farewell, Lucy mounted her horse and cantered away – Tumnus waving with a genuine smile on his face.

As Lucy cantered through the forest, she thought about what Susan had done, and whether she would get home at the same time.

Suddenly, there was a loud trumpeting from the other side of the woods. She urged her Horse on faster and she almost galloped into someone when they exited the woods.

Slowing down, Lucy turned and found herself face to face with her older sister.

"Susan?" Lucy whispered.

"Yeah Lu, it's me" Susan replied.

"You heading back as well?" Lucy wondered out loud.

Susan straightened up slightly in her saddle.

"Of course. That means that you got your letter from Peter?"

Lucy nodded and turned around again.

"Come on, our brothers await us" she joked slightly.

Susan laughed and they continued the journey back to Cair Paravel.

**Next chapter will hopefully be up soon, I don't know for sure when. Please read and review!**

**As always,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Really sorry about making you all wait this long, but you'll be pleased to know that I finished school on Friday and I don't go back until the 28th of January next year. So now there is no excuse for not updating my stories. *excited cheer*

Disclaimer: Only the plot, Motiff and the Doves are mine. The song that Susan sings later is "A Whole New World" from Aladdin (of course that's not mine!)

Chapter 6

Susan and Lucy didn't reach Cair Paravel until Daybreak, but they arrived in high spirits as they cantered into the courtyard.

As they dismounted their horses, Lucy took a look around – Peter was, as they'd expected, not there.

After leaving their faithful steeds in the care of two satyrs, the girls walked into the bustling castle.

Many of their subjects turned and bid them good morning, and Susan and Lucy smiled in return.

Free from the crowds of the main castle at last, the Queens continued walking until they reached Edmund's quarters. What they saw inside shocked both of them.

Neither of the boys were there.

"Where are they?" Susan whispered, panicking.

Suddenly, someone came out from behind Lucy and covered her eyes. Screaming, Lucy shoved the hand off and whirled round to face Peter – who was laughing hard at Lucy's fright – and, to Lucy's astonishment, Edmund, teetering on his tip-toes behind him, pale, but chuckling softly.

"PETER!" Lucy cried half-indignantly, half-relieved.

Peter just kept laughing.

Susan shook her head, a small smile slowly gracing her features, before she strode over to hug Peter.

"Hey, what about me?" Edmund asked, looking slightly put out, but with a twinkle in his eyes.

Lucy skipped over and threw her arms around his waist. Smiling, Edmund hugged her back.

"Ed, thank Aslan you're alright" Lucy whispered into his slightly large tunic.

Edmund patted her softly on top of her auburn head.

Lucy eventually released him and joined the bear-hug with Susan and Peter.

Peter looked over Susan's shoulder at where Edmund was standing. Noticing that not all was well with his younger brother, Peter released the girls and walked over to him.

"Ed?" he whispered.

Edmund looked up at him, his eyes clouded and dull, and his face paler than usual.

Without warning, Edmund groaned and promptly collapsed on the hard stone floor.

His siblings were by his side in seconds.

Gathering his younger brother in his arms like he'd done only days before, Peter walked steadily into Edmund's room while Susan sprinted down to get Motiff.

"Exhaustion, that's what's done it. This is the most exercise he's gotten since he woke up and he's simply worn himself out" Motiff explained five minutes later.

All three siblings were sitting around Edmund's bed while Motiff carefully examined him.

"But he was fine when he first came into the room, in fact, he didn't even look bad when I left him to hug Peter" Lucy said, confused by the whole ordeal.

Motiff turned and smiled gently at her.

"Exhaustion can have quick, sudden effects on some people. The person can be feeling wide awake one second and be suddenly asleep the next."

Understanding now – at least a little – Lucy nodded and Susan came and hugged her reassuringly.

Unnoticed by any of the Monarchs, Motiff blew from the room.

Watching her youngest elder brother sleeping soundly made Lucy tired just watching. Unconsciously, she yawned widely, stood up and began to trudge down the hall to her room.

As soon as she lay down on her bed, she was startled by something soft and squishy poking into her cheek.

Sitting up again, she looked down and saw a small present wrapped in lavender purple silk with a puffy, thick soft blue ribbon tied it together. There was a sticker on the front.

"_To Lucy, from your Brothers"_ it read.

She wondered why a present would be sitting on top of her pillow.

'Unless' she thought 'this is for my 12th birthday that was yesterday.

She opened the present and took out a pendant, which was a perfect miniature replica of her dagger and cordial underneath Aslan's head on a chain, and a ring that was a scarlet Lion's head.

She smiled and put the presents on her bedside table and settled down to sleep.

Susan stayed with Edmund and Peter until late afternoon. Peter left to check on Lucy and Susan remained.

She let her mind wander back to a similar moment like this after the Battle of Beruna when she had guarded her younger brother's sleep.

(Flashback – 2 Narnian years)

_13-year-old Susan sat alone in the tent at Aslan's camp. Tomorrow they would journey to Cair Paravel and later be crowned Kings and Queens. But tonight, she was letting herself play the role of, not a queen, but as an older sister._

_14-year-old Peter had gone to dance with an energetic 9-year-old Lucy and 11-year-old Edmund was sleeping restlessly beside her. _

_Her gaze flew back to her younger brother as he let out a low, but clearly heard whimper. Sweat was glistening on his face and his small, grazed hands were clenched on the sheets around him._

_Susan's hand moved to steady his trembling shoulder, but at that point, Edmund's eyes flashed open and he looked at Susan with petrified eyes._

"_Su?" he whispered._

"_Sh, Ed, it's ok" Susan soothed._

_Taking a few deep breaths, Edmund let his eyes close again and he once again, surrendered to slumber. Moments later, Susan fell asleep too._

_No more nightmares plagued either of them that night._

(End Flashback)

Susan smiled slightly at the memory. She had liked being a protector for her brothers instead of the other way around. Peter was normally the one who did the protecting, but it always felt good when Susan got to try it as well.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a small frantic rustle of sheets. She looked over to see that Edmund was caught in a nightmare – again. Susan moved closer to his bedside and reached out to stroke his dark, yet sweat-soaked, locks.

It didn't help.

Mere seconds later, Edmund suddenly jerked awake and nearly screamed in fright when he felt Susan's arms come to wrap comfortingly around his shoulders. He winced as she rubbed his wound.

"Sorry Edmund" she whispered.

Relaxing, Edmund practically melted into her embrace. Susan began to sing.

_I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid_

_Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide_

"I'm a king, not a princess!" whispered Edmund into Susan's neck.

"I can't exactly change the song Ed" Susan whispered back.

_I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder_

_Over, sideways and under on a magic carpet ride_

_A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view_

_No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming_

_A whole new world, a dazzling place I never knew_

_But now I'm way up here, it's crystal clear_

_That now I'm in a whole new world with you_

Susan smiled as she broke in the song and heard Edmund's soft snores. She kept singing though.

_Unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings_

_Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling, through an endless diamond sky_

_A whole new world, a hundred thousand things to see_

_I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far, I can't go back to where I used to be_

Susan felt her eyelids begin to droop, but then she heard two soft, but clear singing voices coming from the doorway.

_A whole new world, a with new horizons to pursue_

She turned to see Lucy and Peter standing in the doorway, singing along to her lullaby.

They walked over and joined her in the last half a verse of the song.

_I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare_

_Let me share this whole new world with you_

_A whole new world, that's where we'll be,_

_A thrilling chase, a wondrous place_

_For you and me._

Edmund awoke the next morning unable to feel either of his legs. He looked down, and then smiled at the sight of Peter over his feet, Susan half on top of his upper legs, and Lucy on top of both of them.

Deciding to let them sleep a bit longer, Edmund slid back down under the covers and returned to the slumber he desperately needed.

_Fin_

**WOW. That's all I can say. Sorry that this took so long and I may add another chapter if you awesome reader's want me to! This is probably not the best chapter – it sort of deters from the plot a bit, but review please!**

**Yours in writing,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


	7. Chapter 7 Epilogue

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to the one and only skgirl8621 whom the idea for this chapter belongs to. She requested that I write another chapter and gave me an awesome idea for it, I felt like I couldn't say no. Skgirl8621, thank you so much and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the rest of the story :)

Disclaimer: Nothing except the original plot, Motiff and the Doves are mine. The idea belongs to skgirl8621 and everything else belongs to C.S Lewis, Disney and Walden Media.

Chapter 7 – Epilogue

A week passed and, once again, Edmund was planning to ride out in the woods.

"I'll be FINE Peter, honestly, you worry too much" Edmund was exclaiming. The two boys were down at the stables, but their voices could be heard all the way up to the Great Hall where Susan and Lucy were sitting, casually eating breakfast.

Peter sighed.

"Brother of mine, you said that last time too, yet you managed to almost get yourself killed. It's not you I don't trust, it's that crazy beast that tried – and almost succeeded in – killing you."

"King Peter is right, Majesty" a gentle, yet firm voice from behind Edmund. It was Philip.

"I cannot bear the thought of either of us going back out into those woods with that werewolf still on the loose. We escaped last time, but we may not be so lucky if we run into it again."

"Yes Philip, but the key word in that sentence is _IF_ - _IF_ we run into it again. I have high spirits that we shall not come across anything dangerous today" Edmund smirked cheekily.

Philip seemed to give up almost, though he cast a glance at Peter behind Edmund's back that clearly read "I'm-not-happy-about-this-one-bit".

Peter smiled. But in the back of his mind, his decision was made. He would follow his brother.

Peter's plan was to wait until Edmund and Philip were out of sight, before taking off on his own horse – a black stallion called Indigo – and heading in their direction.

He soon came across Edmund's path; there were fresh hoof prints in the mud. Smiling, Peter urged Indigo on at a steady trot, before his brother came in sight.

Back at the site of the incident, Peter suddenly was reminded of his terror and fear of that terrible afternoon two weeks ago.

Shaking the memories out of his head, Peter continued walking steadily towards his brother, the idea of giving the two of them a fright was actually rather tempting.

He waited until they were rather close to the pair, then he let out a loud wolf's-howl.

If the stirrups weren't restraining his feet, Peter was sure that Edmund would have jumped right out of Philip's saddle with fright.

Seeing his brother nearly fall off with relief as he whipped round and saw only Peter laughing at him was enough to make Peter laugh even harder. Annoyed, and slightly relieved, Edmund just glared fondly at him.

Before either boy could say anything though, there was a loud rumbling growl.

"Good impersonation Peter, but haven't you better stop with the wolf sounds now?" Edmund said, exasperated.

"That wasn't me Ed," Peter replied softly.

"Then what –" Edmund started, but then his eyes widened in fear.

"PETER, LOOK OUT!" he yelled.

Peter swung round in his saddle, only to see the cursed beast that (in his mind) nearly killed his brother. The werewolf leapt from the ground and jumped right over his steed's neck, before landing next to a frightened Philip and lunging at his brother, succeeding in, once again, taking him from the saddle.

Outraged, Peter leapt from his own horse and drew Rhindon fast, before sprinting towards the wolf, the memories flashing back into his mind.

_The werewolf standing over a limp figure on the forest floor.....Blood in a pool around them....Screams of pain and terror filling his ears....._

Belatedly, Peter realised that he was on the ground, and Rhindon was on the ground some five meters away. The beast was leering over him, almost smiling in triumph, but then there was a loud slashing sound and the werewolf suddenly jumped off him, and ran over to a dark figure that was in the process of unsteadily raising themself from the place where they'd fallen.

Edmund raised his sword and slashed through the werewolf's hairy shoulder, making the beast howl in pain.

Rolling out from underneath the wolf's clawed weapons, Peter stood and retrieved Rhindon from the dirt and, together, the kings sent their swords through the werewolf's chest, ending its life once and for all.

Panting, Peter withdrew his sword from the limp beast and only now realised the scrapes on both his hands and the soreness of all his muscles – he guessed he would be badly bruised for quite a while.

Hobbling over to Edmund, he noticed that his brother was limping slightly and that he had a few scratches on his face, but otherwise he seemed fine; Peter was relieved.

On closer examination, Peter had the sneaking suspicion that Edmund may be concussed, though he couldn't tell for sure.

"You okay Ed?" he asked gently.

As Edmund glanced up at him, Peter's suspicion was confirmed. Even in the bright sunshine, Edmund's pupils were still large and they even looked slightly misty.

Peter put his arm around Edmund's shoulders and guided him back to where Indigo and Philip were standing, waiting patiently.

"Peter, what just happened?" Edmund's voice startled him.

"Don't you remember? The werewolf came back and we killed it together" Peter replied, worry slowly intensifying.

Edmund didn't answer, but he did let out a small noise of protest as Peter helped him mount Philip, who was lying down.

After mounting Indigo, the two brothers walked off towards Cair Paravel.

Because of their slow pace, they didn't reach the Cair until early afternoon (they had left around 9:00am) and found their two worried sisters racing towards them.

"Peter, why didn't you tell us where you going?" Susan screamed at him.

"What HAPPENED to you two?" Lucy shrieked "You look like you had a fight with something."

Peter sighed resignedly.

"We did run into a bit of trouble, but can we get up and change first?" he asked tiredly, eager to get Edmund lying down as soon as possible.

"Why?" Susan looked at him suspiciously.

"Because we have a mild concussion on our hands" Peter whispered gently.

Susan almost looked like she was going to yell at them more, but Lucy cut her off.

"Fine, but we'll come up in about ten minutes" Lucy told him sternly.

Relieved, Peter trudged through the courtyard, feeling Edmund's slow and even sleep-breathing against his shoulder, and leaving the horses in the care of a satyr stable hand, Tibbus.

Settling his brother down on his bed upstairs, Peter quickly changed and checked Edmund over for any other unseen injuries. Luckily, he found none.

He was halfway through assessing his own injuries, when Susan stormed in, followed by Lucy.

"Okay Peter, we're listening, what did you run into that made both of you come back like this?!" cried Susan angrily.

Giving up, Peter started telling them the story, but Susan interrupted him.

"I told Edmund he shouldn't have gone on that ride today! But thanks to you Peter, you're BOTH hurt and no one is to blame but yourselves!" Susan was bordering on hysterical now. She threw her arms up in the air and groaned inwardly.

"Su –" Peter started, but Susan, now having a moment of total hysteria, cut him off.

"No Peter, you have no one to blame but yourselves!" she screamed again.

"Su –" this time it was Lucy who spoke, she looked frightened by her sister's screaming.

"NO!" Susan shrieked.

"But –" Peter tried again, but Susan came and slapped him.

"SUSAN!" cried Lucy.

"QUIET! You're all giving me an even worse headache than I already have" a hoarse voice spoke up from behind Lucy.

All eyes in the room flew around to see Edmund, propped up on his pillows, blinking in the bright light and glaring at them.

"Ed!" Peter cried in relief.

Edmund reached up and waved him away with a wave of his hand, but then found himself with an armful of older sister.

"Oh Edmund, promise me you won't do that again!" Susan squealed.

"Um, Su?" Peter spoke up

"Yes?" Susan replied, somewhat calmer now.

"Yes, it was Ed's idea, but I still feel guilty for letting him go out there in the first place" Peter told them, looking at the ground and feeling his face heat up.

"S'alright Pete" Edmund whispered, "I'm sorry I made all of you worry this much."

"Any explanations then?" Lucy asked, her hands on her hips.

The two brothers looked at each other.

"Yes, we'll just say that beast won't be hurting any of us anymore" Edmund said, smiling slightly.

Shaking her head, Susan left the room, Lucy was just about to follow her, when she turned to the boys.

"Promise me one more thing you two" she pleaded.

"Anything Lu" Peter said.

Lucy smiled.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

**Again, wow! Now, I promise it's finished this time, but here I would like to extend my thanks to:**

**My friend – for fixing my mistakes in this story.**

**My awesome reviewers – for your encouragement and constructive criticism.**

**Skgirl8621 – for without your excellent mind, this chapter wouldn't exist and you have reviewed every chapter.**

**And finally to my other readers – who haven't reviewed but have played a major part in making this my highest hitting multi-chapter and my highest hitting story.**

**I sincerely thank every single one of you!**

**Yours in writing,**

**Fan of the Just King.**


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